Information for Social Change Journal and Historical Archives

We are pleased that we continue to add to our list of subscribers.
Please do inform anyone that you think might be interested in what we
do. We have no shortage of material, and will include book reviews,
interviews, m-depth guides to peace collections, and of course more
selections for our popular "The Good, The Sad and The Idiotic," etc.
etc., in future issues of AIR. Also, we would be plarfsefd to'include
articles or snippets that YOU send us. .

We have been mentioned recently in the "Library Association Record"
ana the Assistant Librarian", after some energetic promotion,
correspondence since the last issue includes another letter from our
friends in the Museum of Peace and Solidarity in Samarkand, USSR.
They have been hosting guests from all over the world and have just
had their first disarmament ceremony- exchanging war toys for peace
ones. This issue of AIR contains more information on the idea of a
British Peace Museum.

It has been suggested that a photograph or two would improve the
quality of AIR. Any other suggestions? Of course, when we cr e t a
computer or two, we will be able to produce AIR with much greater ease
and professionalism- we are still very much open to donations!

Our next issue (AIR 5) will be mainlv devoted
to libraries, librarians, and resources from
abroad concerned with peace issues. This
will also be our first 12 page issue!

One final point:
reproduce anything
where specifically
do so.

anyone who wishes to
written in AIR (except
indicated) is welcome to

All correspondence to AIR
should be addressed to:

Librarians Within the
Peace Movement,
c/o 6 Endsleigh Street,
London WC1

EDITORIAL BOARD:
Martyn Lowe, Helen
Thomas, Declan McHugh

AIR Issue Mo. 4:
Helen Thomas, Martvn
Lowe, Declan McHugh:
typing, design &
production.

PEACE MUSEUM FOR BRITAIN PROJECT

In AIR 2 (p.2) I suggested that Britain too should have a peace museum
such as already exists in the USA, the USSR, and a few other
countries. I am pleased to report now that the idea has been given a
new lease of life. Michael Irwin, former UN Medical Director and now
on the executive committee, of the Medical Association for the
Prevention of War (MAPW), whose article in the Sept. 1988 issue of
the "Pacifist" partly prompted mine, proposed at the National Peace
Council (NPC) AGM on 5th ^November that the NPC should consider the
principle that a peace museum be established in London. The AGM
endorsed the idea, recommending that MAPW approach appropriate bodies
and individuals such as the Imperial War Museum and Tom Daffern, who
is involved with the Institute for a School of Peace Studies at the
University of London (IPSUQ.-.*.-_

Michael believes that: JVA^.—Bri tish peace museum could become a
permanent central record of the various organisations, as well as the
many famed and unsung individuals, who have been involved in this
country in presenting the case against war.

In a peace museum, there could be a permanent exhibition of
photographs, posters, paintings, cactoons, books and journals, and the
many badges and buttons which .^dramatically show the history of the
anti-war movement in this--c'ountry. Also in this museum there could
be tapes of various *p"5ace__songs, detailed profiles of some of the
Nobel Peace Prize winners, and .a special room for children where the
emphasis would be on war-froyafjahd the better alternatives. Special
exhibitions could be present'edjlpgriodica 1 ly, and perhaps these could
be packed and displayedvigsgSsbgSS^SOations in the UK. A peace museum
could become an active caat^-jzhich could inspire one for the future
while learning from p'aiHpiEfSKli to raise consciousness about the
issues involved in prfhctT* -

If you are interested in the idea, please write to Michael Irwin at:
MAPW, 601 Holloway Road, London N19 ADJ- before the end of January
1991. :

Incidentally, it is interesting to note that the Chicago Peace Museun,
founded in 1981, now has fij/e full-time and three part-time staff, as
well as 150 volunteers, ansL.in 1989 50,000 people visited it.

Declan McHugh

r^^pnn f? r> r*r

tl Vj n\\ u U*U is w> Ll Vij

ARCHIVES

The Northern Irish Conflict Archive, the single most important
resource for the study of the Northern Ireland situation, began in
1968. Now it contains over 35,000 items covering all political
viewpoints in the North. It is praised by people from the whole
spectrum of those viewpoints and is regarded as invaluable by
academics, authors, .journalists and broadcasters who are interested in
Northern Irish political history since 1968.

Now the materials are being progressively microfilmed and the
microfiches offered for sale. It is hoped that this programme of
microfilming will help the collection achieve its aim of becoming
self-financing.

The Linen Hall materials range from leaflets and other ephemera to
periodicals and books. Although the hard copy indexes which come with
the microfiche do provide access to particular publishers, places of
publication and items published in a particular year, there is no
specific subject access. This is not surprising, given the size of
the collection, but such subject access is obviously very important-
there would appear to be a vital task outstanding, therefore, for one
or more determined people.

For more information about the collection, contact the librarian, John
Gray, at:

The Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegal Square, Belfast BT1 5GD
Tel. (0232) 321707
Fax (0232) 438586

Ser vices

Media Transcription Service (MTS) is a non-profit making organisation,
established in 1988, to monitor TV and radio broadcasts on defence,
arms control, and related matters. Transcripts of programmes, which
subscribers identify as of interest to them from index lists they are
sent, can be obtained on paper or on computer disk for a fee.
Organisations and individuals funded by charitable trusts are
considered for discount.

Opinion and policy makers have praised the service, and it is one of
which librarians and information workers interested in peace issues
should be aware. Access to MTS transcripts is also possible via
Green Net, the electronic network for peace and environmental
activists, which I'll be writing about in more detail in a future
issue of AIR.

I've used MTS myself at the National Peace Council and now at CND, and
find it extremely useful, especially when it comes to keeping tabs on
what politicians actually say about something. If you can afford it,
it's an excellent source of defence-related information and a useful
tool to underpin campaigning.

Contact MTS at:

P.0. Box 3, Newton Le Willows, Merseyside WA12 8QE
Tel. (0925) 22647

Declan McHugh

JEWISH LIBRARY VANDALISED

In Melbourne, Australia, neo-Nazis broke into a Jewish library and
damaged 5,000 religious books with paint.

TNT, 5 Nov., 1990

Magel, Charles R.

"Keyguide to Information Sources in Animal Rights"

Mansell/MeFarlane, London, 1939. 0-7201-1934-7 £30 pp.279

This bibliography is one of the most detailed available deal in

the whole set of issues surrounding animal ri P h it i s

parts. Part 1 is an overview of animal rights literature • th ^ ee

and Animals '' Law' an^Anffi —VgeTa*^

“-r-:

listings. Tne Appendices include such things as audio ° ^

materials journals, etc. The index to ttfis work d is al
comprehensive. While at £30 this book might not be one th r ty

Siir^L^^^tur^ha^^ bibli ° graphy that campaigning

Martyn Lowe

y I

‘ c,\

-•X£“ ’Kjsrss*^" :.r£ n r d s* ct ° f ts * >*»-**.<

London Veaans' new 7 r d S andhl were vegetarians.

Businesses/' "Vege Paces" wilf rherof Gr ° U ? s * Organisations, and
pacifists and non-viollnt ’activists 6 ° ^his* 5 d °~ g Jf eat use t0 “any
pages of contacts camnaionino ur ’ This directory contains 42
wholefood supplier’s ve»an and‘\elt • ecol °Sy/environmental bodies,
75p (plus 25 p P p 4)!’ the S M forma?';^ 0rgani ? a > etc. Costing

m terms of information content it is a "far bett- 3 gloss / w ° rk - bu t
another work in the £5-£10 ran<*e ar better work than many

Available from: ° *

London Vegans, 7 Deansbrook Road, Edgeware, Middx. HAS 9BE

Martyn Lowe

It e8 i e s 4 bl "^pjick- C ompa^Jon dd guide r ^t^ U vegetarian S< and^ ^4°" VeganS *
(e^gWth ^

alphabetical listin- at the end r (Inner) > etc -)> »ith an

prS^era^L “ 5 al W M ““ e °n 0 r 4 e Prd rfoo a d nd

as

Kiri’s LavoJabU ff; e only fe too f w4n

periodically. I do think a ] j,-i\ 1 f an , d 1 V f; ge Tables is updated

omnivorous, Chinese, etc. restaurants at the the vegetarian, vegan,
good idea. 1 rants at the back would have been a

Vege Tables" is printed on A4 recycled mnor i -i

costs only 75p ( plus p&p)> from the4d dr e4 abo^ ^ “ S C ° mpanlon

Declan McHugh

December 1st is World Prisoners for Peace Day. Each year the War
Resist ers International (WRI) produces a "Prisoners for Peace" list.
This year the list has been produced as
December issue of Peace News (PN).

supplement within the

WRI is THE international pacifist body, founded in 1921, and has
"consultative status within the United Nations on the question of
Conscientious Objection worldwide. It has various pacifist

organisations as sections. Membership of WRI is based upon the
pledge: "War is a crime against humanity. I am therefore determined
not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all
causes of war."

Peace News was founded as a pacifist newspaper in 1936 and has been
published in various formats ever since. Earlier this year PN joined
with WRI to be published as a joint International Pacifist Newspaper,
replacing the old WRI Newsletter.

For those interested in the history of PN, the following book may be
of interest:

Beale, Albert. Against All War. Fifty years of Peace News 1936-1986
Peace News, London, June 1986. 0-946409-07-2

WRI files cover all aspects of the Conscientious Objection question.
The files are organised both on a country-by-country and issue-by¬
issue basis. WRI receives several hundred pacifist and peace
journals. The files are not available for general reference (although
WRI staff can advise on CO issues), since WRI is a campaigning body
and not a reference library. -

For details about Peace News subscriptions, and the work of WRI,
together with contact addresses for the local pacifist bodies open to
you, contac t:

War Resisters International/Peace News, 55 Dawes Street, London SE 17

Martyn Lowe

Resources

"Peace Information Resources: a guide to 32 British collections, with
comprehensive subject index"; compiled by Declan McHugh
NPC, 1987, 83p

Although dating somewhat, this is still a useful guide to many of the
most Important national and local peace collections. Available for
only £1 (inc. p&p) from the NPC at:

29 Great James Street, London WC1N 3ES. Tel. 071-242 3228

"The Pacific Region"

"Chemical Weapons"

Two twelve-page briefings giving introductions to the topics followed
by listings of important organisations, books, periodicals, reports,
videos, etc. Both are compiled by Declan McHugh and are available
from the NPC at the above address for £1 each (inc. pip).

(DecLan would like to point out that he does not receive anv loney
from sales of the above items,- that goes to the NPC. He would just
like people to be aware of them, after taking the trouble to research

Thought for the issue

"The more Communicated, more Abundant Grows"

Milton- "Paradise Lost

f, a j ©

After our piece on toy libraries in AIR 2 (p.3) Play Matters, the

National Toy Libraries Association, have sent us a copy of their
journal "Ark" which features a letter about toys for peace.
Apparently, in 1936, as part of the UN International Year of Peace,
the Polish Peace Coalition established an international "Toys & games
for peace" competition. Designs for co-operative games and peace

toys are being sought for the next competition which will take place
in 1991.

For more details, contact:

Joan Staines, Laurel Cottage, 106 High Street, Bathford, Bath BA1 7TH

Declan McHugh

a nd

T He

"Coron Wheeler was collecting five pence fines in the grim fluorescent
silence of a south London library when her association with iazz
Degan. ' J

Melody Maker, 1 Sept., 1990

At present the collection has to be housed in different locations and
Decause librarians are, to a man and woman, of the type known to
psyc.natry as anal obsessives, they want everything neatly labelled
and stored m one place.'*

A.N. Wilson on the new British Library, Evening Standard, 1 Nov., 1990

Tne Minister for the Arts (David Mellor) was introduced by the Oxford
Union Librarian Jonathan Catharill to the 200-strong audience as "the

Pp=r« r M 1S ^ er f ° r Vivisection " •••it fall to former librarian Jacob
Peers Mogg to insist that Catharill withdrew his "very offensive
comments . ’ ^ j-* -

Evening Standard, 7 Nov., 1990

oennl/ l,, tnat llbrarlan s bate readers: messy, troublesome

P ople who actually want to see the books instead of leaving them
neatly arranged in the stacks. If librarians had their way they 3 would

■ U A i « 14 1---II

not allow any reader at all in their libraries.’

More from the A.N.

Wilson rant

For the fifty minutes of
heart into the party,
librarian in pearls.

revelry that remained, Niki Landau threw his
Sang and danced for a grim-faced Scottish

John le Carre.

The Russia House, 1939